Among all the project ideas we received (listed on other pages on this wiki), the projects below have been deemed most feasible. (I still like the "Torpedo Project," but it didn't make the cut.) We've tried to group them by theme.

Miscellaneous Projects

Cooking

Staff: Ajani, Dorothy
Max Students: 10
Where: Dining Hall
Description: students learn how to prepare selected dishes.

This is a great opportunity to look at food from a larger context -- culture, science, history, etc. It would be great for a teacher to work with Ajani on this project! -- SD

Trading Places ?

This has come up a few times: boys and girls switch residence roles for one or two days. May be too hard to work-out bus stops.

Artistic Theme

Music

Staff: Dave and/or outside person (contact: John Morris)
Max Students: I dunno--maybe 10?
Where: Multi-purpose room would be best, given that drums & piano are there
Description: I would envision coming up with two or three compositions in the course of three days. These would not be written out on paper, but performed with pre-arranged signals to move from one part of a piece to another. Preference would be given to students who have a musical instrument that a) they can play, and b) they can bring to school.

Creative Dance

Staff: outside person or unsupervised
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Tile Mural (40th Anniversary)

Staff: Evelyn and/or outside person
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Japanese Art

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description: Infuse culture with origami, painting

Love Garden

Staff: Kathy
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Wood Carving

Staff: Dorothy
Max Students: 8
Where: Shop-will need Bicente's help cutting wood with a saw
Description: Tree stumps. Chairs? Making waterhorses for Soccer, Baseball, Track, Field Day

Stained Glass

Staff: Bill
Max Students: 6
Where:
Description:

Sculpture

Staff: David H.
Max Students: 6
Where: Art Room
Description: Two possible sculpture types: (1): medium scale aluminum can creatures (2) small to large scale plaster sculpture (chicken wire, plaster gauze and plaster)

Quilting

Staff: Susan? outside speakers/consultants
Max Students:
Where: Need space to work -- a classroom with tables.
Description: Students will decide on a theme for the quilt, plan and design panels for the quilt, visit the International Quilt Show (if possible -- it's Oct. 30-Nov. 2), and "quilt" together. Quilt will be prepared for display. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with others (online or as part of a presentation). A photo-story based on the quilting process will be recorded.

Can be combined with the collage project below -- photos to be transferred to fabric for quilting.

Chinquapin Collage

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Thespian

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Improvisations

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Tapestries (for Rooms with Bad Acoustics)

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description: make tapestries for Art, Tech, and Middle Sci rooms

Building/Science & Engineering Themes

Duplex Guardrail Design

Staff: David
Max Students:10
Where: A lab space and shop
Description: Students will help design and construct a deck railing system for the new duplex made out of used seat belts. Students will participate in obtaining used seat belts from junk yards and fabricating a colorful guardrail system. This work will become a permanent fixture of the new faculty duplex.

Solar Power Kiosk

Staff: Brian
Max Students: Physics Lab, Workshop
Where:
Description: kiosk per BP grant requirements. Need wood-working, diorama building, electrical connections.

Wind Power

Staff: Brian
Max Students:
Where: Physics Lab
Description:

Biodome

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Rocket (Egg Astronaut)

Staff: Brian
Max Students:
Where: Physics Lab
Description: launch and return an egg safely to earth using common items and store-bought rocket engine.

Cardboard Pirate Ship

Staff: Brian
Max Students:
Where: Physics
Description: Build boat out of cardboard, duct tape. Need appliance boxes.

Improve Baseball Field & Fence

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Exterior Solar Shading for Gym

Staff: David H.
Max Students: 15
Where:
Description: Design and implement an exterior shading system for the south windows of the gymnasium.

Build a Playground

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Build a Car

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Lego Chinquapin

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

No Waste Day

Staff: Kathy
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Chinquapin Scale Model

Staff: David H. - Eddie B's idea
Max Students: 2
Where: Art room
Description: using Google Sketchup.

Robotics

Staff: Brian
Max Students: 12
Where: Physics
Description: Build, program 6 Lego robots. Depends on grant (~$3000). Need 6 laptops to program. Students pair up.

Shop, Home Improvement, Car Repair

Staff: Bicente?
Max Students: 6
Where:
Description:

Kinetic Tower

Staff: Brian
Max Students:
Where: Physics
Description: Chaos Kit. Have one to evaluate. ~$125 each

Giant Newton's Cradle

Staff: Brian
Max Students:
Where: Physics, shop
Description: Design, build structure. Need ~5 bowling balls. Need wood for structure. Wood shop work.

Ecosystems of Armand Bayou

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Photosynthesis Study

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Indentification of Native/Non-native Species

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Social Themes

Darfur

Staff:
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Homeless in Houston

Staff: Jeremy Duncan
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Ike Aftermath

Staff: Jeremy Duncan, Carl Abramowitz
Max Students: 10-12
Where: Houston
Description: Interview victims of Ike, research statistics, create solutions for New Orleans and Houston and how to "cope" with a hurricane.

Alpha & Omega

Staff: Jeremy Duncan, Carl Abramowitz
Max Students:
Where:
Description: visit maternity ward and cancer ward/Hospice/Assisted Living

Street Stories

Staff: Jeremy Duncan, Carl Abramowitz
Max Students: 5-7
Where: Houston Inner-City, Downtown.
Description: The students will use photojournalism, tape recorders, pen and paper to create a booklet of the people living in the streets of Houston. A chaperon will be required for safety.

Photography for Social Progress

Staff: Susan, Carl Abramowitz
Max Students:
Where:
Description:

Video Production

DTF Documentary

Staff: Craig, Dorothy
Max Students: 12
Where: Anywhere the selected projects are working
Description: We will choose up to 5 projects and document their activities and presentations. The video class will then use this footage to produce documentaries of the DTF project. We will use up to 5 DV cameras for the taping.

Film Fest

Staff: Dale
Max Students:
Where:
Description: Writing, videotaping and editing of commercials, short stories, music videos, etc, with a film festival as a culmination, showing off top videos.

P.R. Spot: A Living History

Staff: Dorothy
Max Students:
Where:
Description: Generate video material for marketing

(there will also probably be videos produced from projects with a Social Theme)

Selected Projects